Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems this week unveiled its new Hermes™ 650 Spark, a tactical unmanned aerial system (UAS) that has an extended endurance lasting up to 24 hours in the skies.
The UAS has Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) capabilities along with an increased range, flight speed, endurance, and operational efficiency.
“The launch of our Hermes™ 650 Spark marks an important milestone for Elbit Systems,” noted Yoram Shmuely, General Manager of Elbit Systems Aerospace.
“This cutting-edge UAS … underscores our commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology, and providing exceptional capabilities to our global partners.”
The Hermes™ 650 Spark is a next-generation, autonomous, digital UAS designed to meet diverse operational needs across Air, Land, Sea, Homeland Security (HLS), and civilian applications.
The “super drone” has a high payload capacity facilitated by exceptional large payload bays, and allows for multi-payload configurations without compromising flight endurance or its exceptional operational capabilities, Elbit said.
The aircraft, excels in medium-altitude long-endurance aerial missions, with automatic takeoff and landing (ATOL) and auto-taxi capability from short runways.
With a load of 260kg, the UAS has eight modular storage stations to accommodate large payload bays in the fuselage and six hard points on the wings. This allows it to carry payloads up to 120kg on full fuel capacity without compromising flight endurance.
The system’s multi-payload capability integrates high-quality electro-optics (EO), radar, SIGINT, and other advanced functionalities simultaneously. Hermes™ 650 Spark also has the ability to execute long missions within SATCOM range.
